Of Snowflakes And Pink Ponies
by misluce
Summary: 'Apparently, when they had gone to the mall a few weeks previously to see Santa, Sofia had asked Santa for a special present, something she hadn't mentioned to her parents or even written on her letter to Santa Claus.' A short Calzona Christmas oneshot.


_A:N: MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE! Here's a quick Christmas themed one shot. I hope you enjoy and that you all have a wonderful Christmas and an amazing New Year :)_

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"Did you get it?"

The words left Callie's mouth the moment Arizona had shut the front door, her voice filled with anxiety and nerves. She bit the side of her thumb nail, a habit Arizona, and now Sofia (who was simply copying her Mother), scolded her for. It wasn't a great habit, she knew that, but at that instant, all she was focused on was whether or not Arizona had managed to get the one thing they both desperately needed for the next day.

Arizona's hair was covered by her blue woolly hat, which was glistening with fresh fallen snowflakes. It wasn't usual for them to have snow, much less to have snow actually falling on Christmas Day, but the family had loved it. They had spent Christmas Eve playing outside along with Meredith, Zola and Bailey, exchanging in dramatic snowball fights and snowangel making, and had then ventured inside for some hot chocolate. It had been then, while Sofia and Zola were huddled up in a corner giggling, that Callie had heard something that had made her skin pale.

Apparently, when they had gone to the mall a few weeks previously to see Santa, Sofia had asked Santa for a special present, something she hadn't mentioned to her parents or even written on her letter to Santa Claus. Sofia had been whispering how Santa knew that she really wanted a plush pink pony, with rainbow coloured hair and glittery hooves, and only Santa was allowed to know that, and not even his elves who apparently read all of Santa's letters were. The conversation she had heard had sent Callie into a breakdown. She knew that they had to get Sofia that pony or the magic would be lost, but it really was terrible luck finding it out on Christmas Eve. Then again, it was better than never finding out at all. As soon as Sofia had finally settled into bed, Arizona had quickly left the house to visit the nearest toy stores, in hopes that A) they were still open, and B) one of them sold exactly what her daughter wanted.

Arizona smiled at Callie's anxious behavior, and held up the large plastic bag she was holding, the tip of a pink pony's head visible. Through the slight translucent material, Callie could also make out the multicoloured hair, and the breath she had been holding released. She crossed the room to meet Arizona, her hands reaching out and pulling the pony out from the bag.

"Did you ever doubt I would get it?" Arizona teased, slipping off her puffer jacket and hanging it up on the coat hanger.

"Kind of," Callie admitted sheepishly, placing the pony back inside the bag, and then putting it on the floor next to her feet. She raised her hands and eased off the blonde's hat, gently slipping her hands through soft hair. She was embarrassed to say that part of her had been doubting that Arizona would find it. It was Christmas Eve after all, the clock showing 11:30pm, meaning it was very much near Christmas Day, and Arizona had been out a long while. Of course she knew how amazing her wife was, but there was only so much easy they could get, and the past month had been somewhat _easy._ It made sense for a breakdown to occur before Christmas Day.

"You should know by now that you should never doubt me," Arizona told her, feigning hurt, a hand coming up to press over her heart.

Callie chuckled, rolling her eyes a little, before leaning in and placing a soft and delicate kiss against Arizona's lips. She felt her lips curve into a smile, a small sigh escaping, before she leaned back and stared lovingly into Arizona's eyes.

"Hot chocolate?" Callie offered, knowing a cuddle session by the fire and a mug of the steaming sweet liquid would warm Arizona up. As expected, Arizona nodded eagerly in response, and Callie grinned, placing another small kiss against her lips, before venturing into the kitchen. She hummed as she made the drinks, making sure to use Arizona's special, 'I love my Mommy' mug Sofia had bought her for her birthday. As she stirred the steaming mugs, her mind drifted back to the year that was coming to an end, and she felt her heart swell.

It was their first Christmas as a family since they had gotten back together. The year before, Sofia had spent Christmas alone with Arizona, as the two had planned before Callie had set off for New York. Callie had spent Christmas with her Mother and Father, her Mother acknowledging her for at least a few days, as she had broken up with Penny a month before and didn't want to spend the holiday alone. It was while she had been sitting next to her Father, curled up beside him on the couch last Christmas Eve, that she had truly understood the meaning of Christmas. Growing up a Catholic, she had known that Christmas was about the birth of Christ, and continued to understand it, but there was something more she hadn't really gathered. Christmas was a time of love, of family, of forgiveness and new beginnings, of trust and friendship. And while she was spending the holiday with family she loved, it just wasn't the same. It wasn't the same as waking up to cold toes pressed against the back of her legs, and soft breaths tickling her neck. It wasn't the same as dancing around the Christmas tree with Sofia on her hip and Arizona by her side. It wasn't the same as the family and love she truly craved. It wasn't the same as spending Christmas with Arizona and Sofia.

She had come home at the beginning of the New Year, pouring her heart out to an under-dressed blonde on her doorstep. She couldn't remember what she had said, but she had known it was a speech that was Arizona Robbins worthy. And to her up-most surprise, Arizona had drawn her in, wrapping her arms tight around her, whispering "Welcome home" into the crook of her neck. It had seemed as though Arizona had realised the same thing as she had.

They had married in the summer, a small private ceremony with only Sofia, Arizona's parents and Carlos present. They didn't see the point of another big white dress occasion, as they had already shared and loved that experience. Sofia had been allowed to wear a special flower-girl dress though, a dress she still insisted on wearing on the most random of days.

Callie couldn't help but smile, raising her hand and fiddling with the heart pendant that once again lay hanging round her neck. The year had truly been a great one for them, and while she knew it had been the best year so far, she was very excited for the new chapter of their lives. "

"She better like this pony," Arizona muttered, Callie walking into the living room and handing her the mug of chocolate. She had settled down on the couch opposite the tree and fire place, and had a blanket covering her lap. The pony lay against the tree, next to the rest of Sofia's presents.

"She will," Callie replied, knowing that her daughter was going to freak the next morning. She turned the lights down, so that the only light came from the glow of the roaring fire, and then dropped down next to Arizona. Arizona immediately curled up at her side, her head coming to rest on Callie's shoulder, and Callie's own head fell against her wife's. They sat like that for a few moments, enjoying the final calm feeling that had washed over them, until Arizona's voice broke the gentle silence.

"I don't believe in God," she stated quietly. Callie raised her head and gave Arizona a confused look, mainly because she knew of her wife's beliefs, but the other woman just continued to stare into the fire. "But I think I believe in heaven.. Or at least some form of afterlife."

Arizona finally turned towards Callie, their eyes meeting in the dim-lighting. Callie could see something strange brewing in her eyes, and she opened her mouth to speak, but was cut off as Arizona started talking again.

"The first toy store I went into didn't have the pony, or any ponies for that matter. It had unicorns, yes, but our Sof is very specific, so I knew that wouldn't do," Arizona chuckled, unable to stop from beaming as she thought about her little girl. "The next one didn't have it either, nor did the one after that. I had began to lose all hope, and think maybe we just couldn't do everything. So I asked him for help."

"Tim?" Callie asked, crinkling her brow.

"No. Mark."

Callie felt her heart stop for a moment, and tears began to burn in the corner of her eyes at just the mention of her best friend's name. Arizona gave her a slight watery smile, and reached up to gently caress her cheek with the hand that wasn't holding her hot drink.

"I told him that his little girl really wanted this pony. And that it meant a lot to both her and us that she got it, and that I needed a little help in finding it. I used google maps to locate another closeby toy shop, because by this time, I had gone to all of the usual ones we take Sof to. I found one about 5 miles out. I drove there as quickly as I could, which wasn't very fast considering the weather. I went inside, and as I went in, at 11:00pm I might add, White Christmas by Bing Crosby was playing. I can still hear Mark singing that to Sofia while he soothed her to sleep that Christmas Eve, and I just knew right then that this was where I was going to find the pony. And I did. In the first aisle I looked. So yes, Sofia is going to think that pony is from Santa. But really, really it's from her Daddy."

Callie was know silently sobbing. During her speech, Arizona had set down both of their mugs on the coffee table, allowing her to use both of her hands to wipe away Callie's tears. Arizona was crying herself, both women becoming blubbering messes. Callie didn't say a word, knowing that she didn't need to. Arizona was right. That was a present from Mark. Santa may get all the credit from Sofia. And the money may have come out of her and Arizona's pocket. But Mark was the one who led them to finding it. She didn't doubt that in the slightest.

The clock above the fireplace chimed, making both women turn towards it. It read midnight, declaring it Christmas Day, and Arizona sighed. In 6 hours, her daughter would come bouncing into their bedroom, screaming and squealing knowing that Santa had visited. They were both tired, and their cheeks were still blotchy and stained with tears, but neither made any attempt to move. They were both happy, and safe in each other's arms, knowing that this was where they were meant to be. It was where they belonged. Safe, side by side.

The fire glistened, continuing to burn and roar. The clock continued to tick by. The pony remained laying next to the tree. It was Christmas Day. And Callie considered, like how Mark had brought Sofia her pony, that maybe, just maybe, he had been the one to have brought her back to Arizona. With a final sniff, and a couple more tears, Callie bowed her head in thanks.

And somewhere out there, Mark bowed his head too.


End file.
